Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2010 - 1er Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

A sumptuous whole, still too marked by the barrel on the nose, at least on this bottle, with an admirable velvety texture but a massive return of tannin with all the intensity of Cabernet Sauvignon (94.5% of the blend!). Wait and wait, knowing that the 2013 and 2012 will provide a perfect interim for a long time to come. Drink between 2025 and 2050.

About the domain :

Philippine de Rothschild left her children a property in top form, in the hands of an irreproachable technical team. Originally called Brane-Mouton, the estate became Mouton-Rothschild in 1853, when Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild acquired it. His great-grandson Philippe took over in 1922 and began selling bottled wines. Mouton's privileged terroir and its very old vines, magnified in recent vintages thanks to the favors of the climate and the help of a magnificent winery introduced in 2013, produce perhaps the most formally perfect wine in the Médoc. But that won't stop it from closing as a great vintage before reaching a climax that is predicted to be glorious. The second wine, petit-mouton, resembles the first like a little brother, and the white, aile-d'argent, is gradually becoming one of the Médoc's most complete.

Decanter

About the wine:

It reveals a toasty, smoky tar nose, at once very 2010 and supremely Mouton, accomplished and confident. It exudes a more glamorous, seductive side than Pauillac's other 1er Grands Crus Classés. The tannins are abundant and the overall sensation is one of plush, soft, fleshy fruit, like being wrapped in luxurious sheets. Its character is very different from that of Pauillac's other 1er Grands Crus Classés, but no less pleasant. It seems more alcoholic, more Cos than Lafite in terms of personality, in the same way that Pichon Baron is more Latour than Comtesse, but it's nuanced, intelligent and surprising. To be enjoyed between 2025 and 2050.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

In 2013, Mouton acquired a new vat room, inaugurated at Vinexpo: 70 m long, on two levels, lined with 44 oak and 20 stainless steel vats - equipment deemed necessary to vinify the 80 ha or so of this cru. But it was in the former that the 2010 was born, after a rigorous selection process, with a record-breaking proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (94%), the Merlot having suffered from water stress during the very dry summer. So it's hardly surprising to discover a wine with great ageing potential. But while rich, full-bodied and solidly structured, this vintage also boasts great finesse, both on the bouquet, which offers surprising notes of café crème, and on the palate, built on tasty, fine tannins that underline the long finish. The wine lover will have only one regret: he or she will have to be patient to appreciate this exceptional bottle. It would be a real pity to open too young a wine that will only reach its full potential in eight, ten or fifteen years. On the other hand, in over thirty years, this vintage will still be at its peak. For oeno-semiophiles (label collectors), this year's Mouton grand vin label is illustrated by Jeff Koons.

About the domain :

Acquired by the Rothschild family in 1853, Ch. Mouton Rothschild is strongly linked to the personality of Baron Philippe. After taking over the estate in 1922, Baron Philippe restored the estate to its former glory by modernizing it (notably through the construction of the famous "grand chai"), a process which culminated in 1973 with the revision of the 1855 classification and Mouton's elevation to the rank of 1ercru classé. Baron Philippe also made the estate the foundation of a small empire that included other vineyards and a trading house. He also played an important role in the history of wine, being one of the first to bottle at the château, as early as 1926, and having his labels illustrated by artists. From 1988 onwards, his daughter Philippine, who died in 2014, continued his work. She was succeeded by her children, Camille and Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild. Philippe Dhalluin has been the director since 2003. His 84-hectare vineyard is located mainly on a deep gravelly hillside known as the "Plateau de Mouton", and a brand-new vat room was completed in 2013.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

Philippe Sereys de Rothschild has presided over this iconic family estate in Pauillac since 2014. The wine, always flamboyant, naturally exhaling generous smoky notes, is more in place than ever. If Mouton went through a slump in the mid-1990s, it was brilliantly revived in the early 2000s. Since then, a series of grandiose vintages has followed, continuing to write the legend of the only Cru Classé from 1855 to be promoted: from second to first in 1973. Philippe Dhalluin, the architect of the cru's revival, has handed over the reins to a solid duo: Ariane Khaida (general manager) and Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy (technical director). Mouton, equipped with a new winery since 2013, is evolving at the top. Note the progress made by the white, clearer and more precise than ever.

James Suckling

About the wine:

This is clearly a perfect wine that shows incredible depth of fruit with cassis, dark chocolate, minerals and licorice. Full-bodied, tight and coiled with ripe tannins that let go and seduce you. It makes me want to drink it now. But this is a wine for the long haul. Extraordinary. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon. Best in 2020.

Vert de Vin

About the wine:

The nose is elegant, fresh and offers concentration (in delicacy), power (in subtlety) as well as lovely depth, fine grain and a melodious, multi-layered side. This wine benefits from decanting. Notes of bright blackberry, pulpy blackcurrant and, more lightly, pulpy gariguette strawberry are combined with hints of violet, racy minerality, graphite, black berries, as well as fine hints of zan, sweet spices, discreet cinnamon, hazelnut and an imperceptible hint of pepper (in the background). The palate is fruity, balanced/fine, elegant and offers delicacy, gourmandise, fine grain, tension (in finesse), power (in delicacy) as well as concentration, a multi-layered/melodious side, fine delicacy, a little blackness, depth, a lovely burst of ripe/juicy/fine-acid fruit. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of ripe wild blackcurrant, small ripe wild black berries, fresh/puffy raspberry and, more lightly, juicy/fresh strawberry, combined with touches of graphite, incense, racy minerality, dark chocolate/mocha, morello cherry and discreet hints of coffee (in the background). The tannins are elegant, fresh, precise and structuring.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About the wine:

Incredible in every sense of the word, it has everything you'd expect from Pauillac and Mouton Rothschild. Just as good, but in a different style to the opulence of the 2009, you'll find incredible levels of intensity, density, richness, vivacity and lift. The fruit is perfectly ripe, expressing great purity with notes of crushed stone, flowers, spice box, pencil lead, blackcurrant, blackberry and Cuban cigar. The racy finish is seamless and easily passes the 60-second mark. This is not a wine for today. It's for the future. Your children will be able to enjoy it at maturity. Drink between 2030 and 2080.